


Friendly Fire

by bathtimefunduck



Category: Supergirl (TV 2015)
Genre: #lesbianlives though, Angst, F/F, Multi, School Shootings, appearances by Supergirl, lesbians were harmed in the making of this fic, no children were harmed in the making of this fic
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-05-16
Updated: 2018-05-17
Packaged: 2019-05-07 19:25:16
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 3
Words: 6,387
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14677821
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/bathtimefunduck/pseuds/bathtimefunduck
Summary: Anonymous said:May 13th 2018, 4:56:00 pm · 2 days agoIt seems a lot of prompts in the Director Sanvers world focus on Alex or Lucy. I'd love to see Maggie getting fairly injured (at work), and the fall out. I guess I'm imagining something a little longer than a single part prompt.





	1. Friendly Fire

**Author's Note:**

> I separated this out from most of the prompt fics since it's a little longer, and because of the tags. If you want to avoid this one, no harm no foul.

Maggie loved community outreach. Granted, she usually worked within the confines of alien outreach, but today she had the chance to reach kids before they became bigoted assholes like her parents. It was a career day of sorts, a favor for an ex’s current girlfriend, a science teacher at T.H. Maiman High. Come in, talk about the Science Division and how they (admittedly mostly just Maggie) were working to be better than the cops the kids saw on tv.

Better than the cops anyone off-white probably dealt with regularly for no reason on this side of town. 

Maggie put on her best slacks and button-down, paired with her favorite leather jacket and a rainbow pin. She shined her badge before clipping it to her belt and made sure to secure her sidearm properly before kissing her girlfriends goodbye for the day and hopping on her bike. The school was close to Alex’s apartment-  _ theirs, really, but neither her nor Lucy’s lease were up yet _ \- and the ride was short. Her bike slowed to a stop in the only available visitor’s spot remaining, much to the displeasure of a big man in an oversized SUV who shouted obscenities until she flashed her gun and badge. 

Checking in was harder than expected, with the Resource Officer seeming to take personal offense to Maggie’s particular shade of tan. The man took her ID and badge, called Ms. Reynolds for confirmation, and the principal, and finally even her damn boss before he tried to make her leave her gun with him.

When she hadn’t made it to the classroom by 9:30, Ms. Reynolds came to collect her from Officer Asshat, gun and all. 

“Sorry about him,” Ms. Reynolds said. “He’s gotten worse since, you know.”

“Every school shooting in the last six months?”

“Mmhm. Pretty much. Here we are. Ready to face a bunch of privileged upper-middle class elites?”

Maggie snickered. “Can’t be worse than a Daxamite Invasion.”

Ms. Reynolds pursed her lips and raised her eyes skeptically. She offered a fake smile and cracked the door open just enough for them to slide in without too much disturbance. 

Maggie leaned against the back wall, arms crossed, for the three presentations before it was finally her turn to come up front. She walked with purpose, channelling her own power walk, well aware that the students’ lab tables were nearly shoulder height on her in her flat motorcycle boots. She took her place at the front and placed her hands on her hips, showing off her badge and gun. 

“My name is Detective Maggie Sawyer, NCPD.” Maggie glanced around. “I work with the Science Division, and yes, occasionally Supergirl, on cases involving non-human elements.”

A hand shot up. 

Maggie raised her eyes and nodded in the direction of the ansty girl.

“Is… is it true what Livewire used to say about Supergirl? Is she, you know,” she paused and whispered the end. “ _ Sapphic _ ?”

Maggie thought back to every game night and girls night. If Lena wasn’t there, Kara was gushing over everything about her. If she was, Kara shot love rays out of her eyes all night. Maggie was firmly of the opinion that Kara kept her clothes on racks because she needed the closet for herself. 

She cleared her throat and tried not to laugh. “The first thing you need to know about working with extraterrestrials is that, much like humans, there are major cultural differences, not just biological. Gender, sexuality, morals, they’re all often quite different than what we’re used to in America in general, even here in National City. That’s really a question for her to-”

Loud popping noises sounded from down the hall. 

Maggie’s head twisted to the door, her hand at her gun. 

The loudspeaker screeched loud enough to make the students cover their ears. 

“Attention faculty: We have a code ALICE in Sector Two. All faculty be advised: we have a code ALICE in Sector Two. Maintenance has been dispatched. Thank you.”

Maggie looked at Ms. Reynolds, who went suddenly pale. 

More popping sounded in the hall, closer this time. 

“We’re in Two aren’t we?”

Ms. Reynolds swallowed and nodded. 

Maggie huffed out a short breath, motioning to the scientists who’d presented before her. “You two, start grabbing desks and barricade the doors. Reynolds, what’s the protocol?”

“Um.” Ms. Reynolds cleared her throat and looked worriedly at the students. “Barricade the door, get as many students into the supply closet as I can, and… well. Hope.”

Maggie crossed the room and peeked inside the storage closet. There was no way that more than a handful of students would fit in there. She shook her head and closed the door. “Alright. First thing’s first, everyone get down. Get the tables that are left and flip them  _ as quietly as possible _ so the tops face the door and the feet face these windows.”

“Those windows don’t open,” Ms. Reynolds whispered. 

“Yeah, I know.” Maggie pursed her lips. “So slight change of plans. You boys clear one of the doors enough for me to get through there and then you close it up behind me.”

She spun to face the students and gave them a reassuring smile. “Whatever’s going on, I’ll handle it.”

The students had moved quickly, flipping the tables in teams and huddling behind them, just barely peeking over the tablesides to watch the adults. 

Maggie hoped to hell she could handle it. 

She handed her phone to Ms. Reynolds. “As soon as that door is blocked behind me, speed dial one through three. Any one of those will get back up here, call until someone answers. I already turned it on silent, okay? The only people who’ll call you back will be my backup. Do you understand?”

Reynolds nodded, hands shaking as she reached for the phone. 

“If anyone without a badge or a supersuit tries to come through those doors,” said Maggie. “You break every one of those windows and get those kids out, okay? Not before, because the shooter might head this way if he hears it, okay?”

“Be… Be careful, Detective Sawyer.”

Maggie nodded and unholstered her weapon. “You boys ready?”

The guys had moved furniture as quietly as they could to give her room to slip through. 

“Good luck,” one of them muttered.

She ducked through the door and glanced down the hall. All directions clear, she slipped out. She headed left, towards the bus ramp and the sounds she’d heard earlier. 

This part of the school was almost eerie in its silence. She walked slowly to keep her boots as quiet as possible, peeking into windows, glad to see all of the occupied rooms had managed at least some kind of barricade. 

Hopefully they wouldn’t need them. 

She assumed that most of the classrooms farther away had evacuated, but something was off. She made her way through the halls, trying to track down any sign of the shooter. She didn’t expect to find the shooter quickly, but she’d expected some kind of sign that Officer Asshat was anywhere near the sector. The man was the only other officer on campus, he should have been investigating. 

She rolled her eyes and continued on.

Finally, she heard it.

The faint sounds of shouting. 

She kept low, crouching along the walls to keep out of sight and running as quickly as she could manage while still being quiet. 

The second to last classroom. 

Near the bus ramp, where the doors remain unlocked in case of fire but with alarms that should have been armed the moment first bell rang. 

Most of the schools in National City relied on the Resource Office to arm the alarms and patrol the entrances during the day. 

Maggie huffed and wished, briefly, that she’d kept her phone on her.

Or at least sent out a message to the girls. 

She didn’t have time to really worry about it now. Hopefully Ms. Reynolds would get through to them, or backup from NCPD would arrive. 

Until then, she was quite clearly on her own, with a school full of kids and an unknown number of assailants. 

She ducked as low as she could get as a face appeared in the window of the door, glancing around. 

“Harry, stop this!” a woman shouted. 

Probably the teacher, if Maggie had to guess. 

“You had your chance to stop this!” Harry shouted. 

Fear settled into Maggie’s gut as she heard a shotgun cock.

“All you had to do was marry me and quit this stupid job!”

A childish scream echoed through Maggie’s bones. 

“The only kids you would have had to worry about would have been ours!”

“Let her go, Harry!”

Maggie gripped her gun tightly, slowly, achingly slowly pushing up to get a view into the classroom. 

Harry had a teenager pulled close to his chest, sawed-off held to her head. Tears were streaming down her face. His was enraged, purpling and sweaty. He was facing the teacher, a young woman barely out of college, shaking in fear but placing herself between him and the rest of her students pushed to the back of the room in a terrified crush. 

Maggie took a deep breath. 

Her options were limited. 

She could try to negotiate, but he was volatile. The shotgun would need to be reloaded before he could get too many shots off, but if it was scattershot it could cause some serious damage to a lot of students at this range. 

Plus, he had a handgun shoved into his belt. 

If the Resource Office hadn’t been hassling her instead of doing his damn job, there was a good chance this man would have never made it through the doors. 

She reached for the handle, but of course, Harry had locked it.

Luckily, if she did it just right, she might be able to pop the lock without drawing too much attention to herself. He moved too much for her to get a shot off through the window, she couldn’t guarantee a hit, but if she could get through the door, her chances were better. 

And Harry was beginning to get antsy. 

The sweat was building on his brow, and the hand holding the gun was starting to shake. 

Maggie didn’t have much time, and neither did these kids.

She didn’t have her phone to check the ETA of her backup either. 

Her license was still in her front pocket. She shifted her grip on her gun to slid the thin plastic out of her pocket. Carefully, she inserted it into the doorframe and held her breath. 

She reached out with the pinky of her gun hand to slowly pull the door handle down. 

She began to slide the card down the door. 

The shrill bell of the classroom phone nearly made her give herself away.

“Well? Answer it!” Harry yelled. 

Maggie couldn’t quite make out the murmur of the terrified teacher into the phone, but she heard her response to Harry well enough.

“It’s- it’s for you. NCPD wants your demands.”

“I  _ wanted _ you to  _ marry me _ , Samantha,” he growled. “But it’s a little late for that, since you stood me up!”

“I didn’t stand you up! I broke up with you!”

Maggie watched him shove the kid away and stalk towards Samantha’s shaking form, the phone still in her hand. 

Now was her best chance.

She jerked the card down the door frame and shoved the door open as soon as she felt the  _ click _ . 

“NCPD! Hands up!”

Harry spun and brought his weapon to bare.

Maggie didn’t have a choice. There were too many kids in too close a range.

She fired two to his knees, and Harry went down like a sack of potatoes, howling in pain. She rushed him and kicked the shotgun out of reach, making sure to grab the pistol at his belt as well. 

“Stand down, and we’ll have medical attention to you shortly.”

“Stupid bitch!” Harry sobbed. 

“Samantha, can you tell the NCPD that Detective Sawyer has Harry here in custody?” Maggie asked, keeping her eyes and her gun on Harry. 

Sam relayed her message.

Footsteps ran down the hall, but it sounded like only a single pair.

Officer Asshat barrelled into the room, his weapon up. “Drop your weapon!”

“I’m-”

Maggie didn’t get a chance to get anything out. 

She staggered under the force of three bullets tearing into her, her gun falling limply to her feet. 

She heard screaming, but her eyes were on the Resource Officer. 

“I’m a...cop,” she gasped. “Fucker.”

Maggie hit her knees, the teacher - Samantha - running forward to catch her. 

The Resource Officer’s eyes widened as he paused to actually take in the scene. The shotgun, the injured man on the floor, and Maggie, badge on the ground next to her. 

“Oh, shit!” he cursed. He reached for the radio. “Officer down in room 319, I repeat, officer down. Suspect in custody and injured. Officer needs immediate attention.”

“Friendly fire,” Maggie gasped, her mouth filling with blood as she struggled to breathe. She gave Samantha a shaky smile. “Not so friendly.”

Her vision greyed.

Her pulse pounded at the base of her skull.

Her gasps for air were wet, sucking desperately for any ounce of oxygen.

The last thing she saw was a blurry shape of red and blue shoving Officer Asshat to the side. 

Then nothing.


	2. Just Breate

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Lucy rushes to the city base with some help from Vasquez and Supergirl.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> #notadoctor

Lucy wasn’t entirely sure how she made it back to the city. She’d been in a meeting and missed the panicked call from that teacher Maggie was supposed to spend the day doing talks for. She’d been in a meeting, listening to draft dodging generals groan on and on about budgets and classification levels and women in the military while Maggie was trapped in a school with no protective gear and some coward bottom feeder that somehow survived the Police Academy. 

She was in some useless meeting with her phone on silent while Maggie was saving kids.

While she was shot and bleeding out in a classroom because some fucking racist passed a psych eval well enough to get a shield and a gun. 

Vasquez interrupted the meeting to tell her. 

Lucy hung up on her father and his cronies without a thought.

She’s pretty sure the SecDef was on that call.

Maggie was injured.

Badly. 

Their brief kiss this morning. Crawling into bed late last night and being immediately pulled into her girlfriends’ cuddles. Every moment of their relationship crawled backwards through her mind while Vas guided her out of the conference room and towards the vehicle pool.

Lucy didn’t even realize that she was shaking until Vas had to detour around the side of the SUV to open her door for her.

She wanted Alex with her.

Alex was in the city though.

Alex would get to Maggie first.

Alex was a doctor.

Alex would keep Maggie alive.

She had to.

They were all pieces of a broken puzzle, jagged pieces of different scenery that somehow fit together. They couldn’t afford to lose any of them. 

Their relationship was an awful idea really. Three broken women that would be destroyed if any of them died. 

Three broken toys, all working in fields where death was always a split-second away.

Lucy had doubted herself when she gave into that first date.

She doubted their first kiss.

The first time she slept over.

She’d revelled in the look of pure joy on Alex’s face, the canyons of Maggie’s dimples, but she’d doubted.

She’d doubted their survival.

Maggie had been shot.

Maggie was injured. 

Badly. 

Losing Maggie would destroy Alex. 

Lucy would lose them both. 

She couldn’t- she just couldn’t-

“Ma’am, I need you to breathe.” Vas let one hand off the wheel and pressed it against Lucy’s heart, pushing her back against the chair. “I need you to breathe. Count with me.”

Her chest was so tight. 

She just- she just-

“Count with me, Lane. One-”

Maggie. 

“One.”

“Good. Two.”

Alex.

“Tw-two.”

“Now three.”

Their first date.

“Three.”

“Fou- what the fuck?”

The vehicle shook and lost traction. 

Lucy gripped at the door handle, needing an anchor as Vas pulled their hand away. 

Vas looked down and cursed. 

The ground was rocketing away beneath them, the road almost a distant memory. Vas rolled down their window and stuck their head out. They pulled it in and relaxed their grip on the wheel. “It’s Supergirl, ma’am. She’s giving us a lift.”

Lucy was sure that was supposed to be reassuring. 

It wasn’t. 

If Supergirl was here, if Kara was bringing them into the city at super-speed- that meant - that meant that Maggie-

That Maggie-

“Breathe, Lane!” Vasquez ordered. 

Lucy tried to. Her tongue was dry and thick in her mouth, her breaths short and staggered. It hurt to breathe.

It hurt. 

It-

The SUV dropped onto the city base’s helipad with more force than expected, jarring Lucy out of her tailspin. Her door was yanked open and her seatbelt disengaged before she could so much as move. 

Supergirl had her out of the car and into the hallway outside of medical in a matter of heartbeats. 

Not that Lucy could feel hers.

Alex was pressed to the window, not in the room. Her fingers were pressed into the glass like she was trying to dig through it. 

She didn’t move when they appeared. 

“Alex, I got Luce.”

Lucy blinked at Alex and looked over to Supergirl. 

Supergirl, who's nearly indestructible blue suite was stained nearly black with blood. Maggie’s blood, probably. It hadn’t had time to dry, streaking her own uni with dark patches. 

Lucy wrinkled her nose at the smell, so thick she could taste it.

She’d throw out her copper pans as soon as she got home. 

Supergirl twisted her hands, shifting her weight from foot to foot, glancing between the two. “I’m going to go get cleaned up. I’ll be right back, okay?” 

Neither woman responded to her

“Luce.” Alex’s voice cracked. Her eyes rimmed with red, her face pale. She cleared her throat and pushed away from the window.

She cleared her throat again. “Um. There was an active shooter at the school.”

Lucy wrapped her arms around herself, resisting the urge to push as close to Alex as she possibly could. 

“Maggie- she- she contained the situation,” Alex laughed. “She fucking handled it. Not a single kid or teacher hurt.”

“What the fuck happened?”

“The campus cop showed up. Saw her with a gun.” Alex’s face darkened. “He checked her into the school, for christ’s sake. Saw her with a gun. Shot first, remembered the badge later.”

Lucy would call in every marker she had to make him fry. Especially if- if-

“Maggie?” 

Alex swallowed. She dug her nails into her palms, her eyes darted back to the window where all they could see were scrubs pressed so closely together that Maggie couldn’t be seen. “Her heart stopped when Kara got there.”

Lucy took in a shaky breath, loud even over the pounding of her own heartbeat. 

Alex licked her lips, nibbling at the already raw and cracking skin. “They- they got it started again. But she’s… he got her three times, Luce. Punctured a lung. Nicked her liver. The… the hemopneumothorax is the worst of it, though.”

“Is she-”

Alex ran a hand through her hair. “They had to do surgery. Stem the bleeds. Re-inflate her lung. Drain her chest. She’s… she’s gonna be out for a while, once she makes it through surgery. Breathing tube, chest tube.”

“But she’ll make it?”

Lucy hated that she questioned it. 

Alex sniffled. “She’s young. In good shape.”

“Alex.”

“She’s got as good of chances as she can.”

Lucy swayed on her feet. 

A slight breeze, and an arm wrapped around her from behind. Lucy leaned into Kara’s warm, watching as Kara reached forward with her other arm to tug Alex close. 

She and Alex had been so careful not to touch.

Touching made it real.

Touching could break. 

But Kara insisted, drawing Alex close and squeezing them together, cocooning Lucy in the warmth of the Danvers sisters, even as Alex began to shake with tears and gasps for air. 

Lucy snaked her arms out to reach around Alex too, giving into the urge to bury herself in her girlfriend’s scent. 

There they stayed, clinging to each other until Hamilton left the surgical suite. 

Even then, while they might have looked up, they didn’t let go.

“Detective Sawyer is a fighter. Give us a bit, and we’ll get her settled for you all to take watch.” Hamilton smiled. “I know better than to send you home, so we’ll be pushing an extra bed in there. She’ll look a little rough, but I think… I  _ know _ she’ll make it. She puts up with you two after all.”

Lucy and Alex both sobbed as much as they laughed, relief palpable as their shoulders dropped and more weight leaned into Kara. Kara kissed them both on the forehead and guided them towards the regular rooms where Maggie would soon be moved. 

Lucy didn’t remember much after sitting down. 

She came aware something closer to hours later, steady beeps invading her consciousness, the sterile air of the DEO’s medical wing burning her nose. She blinked awake slowly, aware of the sheet thrown over her legs before she became aware of her exact location. 

Someone- Alex or Kara were both possibilities- had put her to bed in the cot Hamilton had promised. 

Lucy rubbed her eyes and felt the grit of exhaustion scratching at the softer tissues. Pushing herself up, she turned toward the noise and took in her first sight of Maggie post-op. She looked horrible, truth be told. 

Horrible, and like the most beautiful thing Lucy had ever seen. 

Her heart beat steady on the monitor. The quiet hiss of oxygen slowly pumping Maggie’s chest up and down was more comforting than not. Of all the outcomes, this was not the worst.

Lucy could handle this.

Provided Maggie woke up. 

Lucy kicked off her sheet and looked around. She frowned when Alex was nowhere in sight. 

A clearing throat nearly startled her off the bed. Somehow she’d missed J’onn at the back of the room, keeping silent watch over them both. 

“J’onn.”

“Director.” J’onn tilted his head. “I sent Agent Danvers to shower. Supergirl is keeping watch.”

“Afraid she’ll escape and go after the rent-a-cop?”

“He’s on administrative leave while the event is under investigation.”

“Paid, no doubt,” Lucy huffed.

J’onn hummed. “We have an ear to the ground.”

“I want him buried.”

“You’re not alone in that, Director Lane.” J’onn’s eyes flashed red in the dimmed room. “Detective Sawyer is one of our own. He won’t get off easy.”

“You’re not hearing me, J’onn.” Lucy slipped off the bed and stepped close enough to grab Maggie’s hand. “I will quit and go back into law if that’s what it takes. I will bury that man so far under he’ll wish I’d sent him to a black site.”

J’onn’s lips twitched. “I have every belief that Maggie will recover, Lucy.”

“She shouldn’t have to.”

“But she does. And she will. And when she does, whatever the courts decide, I’m sure that you will have a great deal of fun planning out whatever civil suits I’m sure Detective Sawyer will beg you not to pursue.”

“Assault and Battery, negligence,” Lucy paused. “Multiple counts of emotional distress.  _ After _ I call in a few favors at the State’s Attorney’s office.”

“I would expect nothing less.”

Lucy reached forward and brushed a strand of hair out of Maggie’s face. J’onn went silent as she traced the lines of Maggie’s face, brushing lightly over the medical tape and around the breathing tube. She’d have to steal away to Alex’s office at some point to find some chapstick for Maggie. Those lips were too soft to let crack and bleed.

She’d bled enough.

Maggie’s hand was cold. Wires and tubes were everywhere. Lucy couldn’t just crawl in and hold her tight, no matter how much she wanted to. She couldn’t just lay her head on Maggie’s chest and listen for her heartbeat, or feel her breathe. 

She’d have to settle for listening to the machines. 

Lucy let go of Maggie’s hand just long enough to switch sides and drag a chair closer. She could sit and hold Maggie’s hand if she was careful of the tubing. Lucy pressed a kiss to her cold knuckles and held Maggie’s hand to her cheek. Lucy took comfort in the light callouses dragging across her skin. 

There she sat, listening intently to the machines while J’onn watched on.

There she sat. 

And waited.

And waited.

Until finally, she broke the silence.

“Hey, J’onn?”

“Yes, Lucy?”

“Do you know where he is? The guy who shot Maggie?”

“I do.”

“You should probably go get him.”

“Why would I do that, Director Lane?”

Lucy snorted. She turned her head, still cradling Maggie’s hand to her face, and raised an eyebrow. “Because Alex isn’t here.”

J’onn paused. His eyes darted around, unseeing, as if he were searching for something he couldn’t see. 

Before he could find it, Supergirl stumbled into the room. 

“J’onn, we have a problem. Alex is gone.”

“Hope he’s wearing a vest,” Lucy muttered. She kissed Maggie’s palm and turned away from the other two. “Or a helmet.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Feel free to shout here or [@bathtimfunduck](http://www.bathtimefunduck.tumblr.com/ask) or both if you're feeling particularly shouty. 
> 
> I'm aware this chapter didn't do much to actually help.


	3. Heart of the Matter

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Alex is as Alex does.

J’onn should have known better than to leave Kara as her babysitter. 

He’s known Alex entirely too long to think her little sister would be enough to keep her from going after the man who did this to Maggie. 

At the very least, Vasquez wouldn’t have been trusting enough to leave her alone in the shower. 

After all, she and Maggie had once broken into the DEO. She knew these blueprints inside and out, and she knew Kara well enough to know she wouldn’t be monitoring Alex’s heartbeat, or anything else, for the sake of giving her time and privacy.

Alex needed both, but not to grieve.

No, she had to believe that Maggie would pull through. 

She had to. 

No, Alex needed the time to plan her escape. Lucy wouldn’t leave Maggie’s side, and she might even give Alex a head start on J’onn while she plotted out whatever legal ways she’d go after that piece of shit. 

Alex didn’t have time for legal.

The sound of three showers turned on high was enough to mask the removal of the nearest return vent. She slipped inside without much trouble, backwards so she could pull the vent cover back into place behind her. 

Twelve feet back, there was a drop with a fan at the bottom. She braced herself against the sides of the shaft and lowered herself, careful to make as little noise as possible. The further away she got, the more likely it was Kara would notice. 

Alex tried to keep her breathing- and her heart- steady. 

It wasn’t easy when her hand slipped. The thin metal clanged as she fought for her grip. 

She waited. 

Nothing. 

Alex let out her breath. 

The next bit was much more narrow, but she had about 50 feet of crawling before she reached the parking deck. 

The DEO vans were tracked. But Winn’s beat up Camaro wasn’t. 

Alex was willing to bet he left his regular cell phone in there too.

She paused at the grate. She couldn’t see anyone patrolling, but there would be someone there in an instant if she caught the attention of anyone watching the cameras. 

Unless it was Winn.

He was still afraid of her.

And Maggie.

But he loved Maggie. 

Chances were 50/50. 

She’d have to take them, she couldn’t waste anymore time. She crawled back to the last juncture to give herself enough room to turn around. Crawling backwards through dusty vents was not her favorite thing to do at all. 

Her foot hit the grate. 

She wiggled onto her back to give herself better leverage, braced herself against the vent, and kicked out at the grate. 

Once.

Twice.

Three times until it clattered to the ground. 

She shoved herself quickly to the ground, dropping from nearly ten feet up and into a crouch. Alex ignored the slight roll of her ankle and bolted towards Winn’s usual parking spot. She kept low to keep out of sight, for whatever good that might do. 

She thanked Rao and every other god she could think of that Winn had not only left his car unlocked, but left his spare key in an unsecured magnetic box attached to the undercarriage. 

She’d have to give him shit for that later. After she apologized for borrowing the car in the first place. 

Alex revved the engine and blew out of the parking lot, drifting carelessly around the rows of cars. It wasn’t bad, for a muscle car, even if she would have preferred the control of her bike. 

The security gate was down. 

She couldn’t afford for the guard to recognize her. Even if she hadn’t been forbidden from leaving, someone would mention it. 

Alex licked her lips and tightened her hands on the wheel. 

She revved the engine again.

And blew through the arm of the security gate, barely missing the inattentive agent on duty. 

Winn’s tires squealed as she flew onto the city streets and began to weave in and out of traffic. She needed to regroup somewhere with fewer cameras. She wouldn’t have much time to find that cop, and she didn’t have much of an idea where to start. 

The aftermarket radio blared to life. “All you had to do was ask, Alex.”

Alex frowned. She took her eyes off the road long enough to shoot a suspicious look at the radio. “Winn?”

“I could have opened the gate for you. You didn’t have to mess up my paint.”

“I’ll pay for it later.”

Winn snorted. “No you won’t.”

Alex couldn’t resist the urge to grin. “No.”

“Officer Randstat’s been sent home on administrative leave. I tracked his car to the same address he has on file. Head two blocks north and take a left on Academy.”

Alex shifted gears and switched lanes without a blinker, pissing off the cars in her new lane. “Thanks, Winn.”

“Just try to bring her back driveable, okay? I don’t make as much as you do.”

“How’s Maggie?”

“Same. Lucy’s up and watching her.” Winn’s voice dropped. “Shit, I think they know you’re gone. 7241 South Benedict, apartment 7a. Give him hell, Alex.”

The radio wheezed with interference before fritzing out entirely. 

She didn’t have much time. 

She shifted gear once again, accidentally flooding the engine. The car protested, but took off well enough as soon as the light changed. 

Alex probably owed Winn some new tires too. 

Three more blocks, and she whipped the car around the last turn. She didn’t bother to look for a spot, double parking directly in front of the building and blocking at least two cars from leaving. Alex did, at least, have the mind to take the keys with her and lock the doors before running to the buzzer. 

The door wouldn’t budge without someone hitting the buzzer. She looked at the names before looking up to check the sky. 

She slapped her hand along the buttons, dragging it down until she’d hit every one. She kept pressing them, ignoring the resident’s questions and just holding her badge up to the camera until someone let her in. 

Alex entered the building, flashed her badge at the residents in the lobby, and ran for the stairs. She didn’t know if the holographic paper was set to the DEO or what, and she didn’t care. She just needed to get upstairs before Supergirl or the Martian Manhunter whisked her target away.

Alex took the stairs two at a time, counting the floors in her head. Her breathing picked up with her pace, harsh and ragged as she slammed open the door to the seventh floor and made her way to the other end, checking each door for the right address. 

7A was close to the garbage chute.

She paused and opened the door to the closet that held it. She pulled at the heavy drawer and considered it for a second.

It might be too small to suite her purposes. 

She let it slam shut and closed the garbage closet. 

She beat on 7A’s door as if she had a Maglite in her hand, a constant thunder demanding attention. 

He opened it with a shout. “What the fuck do you want?”

He looked just like the personnel file she’s stared at while waiting for Maggie to be moved. Jonny Randstat, bottom of the Academy’s 54th class. Mid-thirties, balding, and with the beer gut common among former athletes. 

Alex was flushed. Probably sweaty. And much, much angrier. 

She whipped up her badge. “Alex Danvers, FBI.”

Randstat narrowed his eyes. “What’s a fed want with me?”

“We’re conducting an independent investigation into the shooting of Detective Maggie Sawyer.”

“It was an accident, just like I told IA.”

Alex bared her teeth. “That’s not how I heard it.”

Randstat opened the door to step into the hall. He stepped into her space and smirked. “What’s a dyke like you know about actual emergencies? You feds just sit around until we’re done, then swoop in and collect the credit.”

“There’s a brown officer fighting for her life and a known racist thinking he can get away with it.” Alex tilted her head. “You don’t seem to realize the hornet’s nest you kicked up when you gave her a hard time,  _ Mister  _ Randstat. This isn’t Orange County. You’re not going to get a slap on the wrist and a reassignment.”

“You’re right,” he sneered. “I’m gonna get a medal for saving those kids.”

“You didn’t do  _ shit _ . That whole school’s wired, you piece of shit. Sawyer saved those kids, and you’re on camera shooting her.” Alex stepped even closer. She tilted her chin up and shoved at him. “Assault with a deadly weapon’s almost a guarantee. Assaulting a police officer. Dereliction of duty, considering you waited until it was handled to even show up. Attempted manslaughter if you’re lucky. Attempted murder if Sawyer’s lawyer girlfriend calls in the right favors.”

“That bitch survived, huh? Pity.”

Alex paused, her features frozen. She ran her tongue over and around the sharp edges of her teeth, taking her time before responding. All the while, she maintained eye contact. She took a deep breath and counted to ten.

Lucy would be proud. 

“That  _ bitch _ is a better cop than you’ll ever be. Especially considering your career is over, Mister Randstat.”

“Like hell it is.”

“Oh, you think Daddy’s gonna pay your way out of this one?” Alex sneered. “You’re  _ pathetic _ .”

And then. 

Right there.

In front of the cameras.

He swung for her.

Alex let him hit her, her lips stretching into a smile even as the impact knocked her face to the side. She started laughing. 

“What’s so funny, bitch?” Randstat lunged.

This time she stepped out of the way and let him overbalance. She grabbed a flailing arm and used his momentum to swing him back around and twisted it up behind him, maneuvering him face first against the wall. 

“Did you intend to add assaulting a federal agent to the list, or was that just a bonus?”

“Stupid  _ cu- _ ”

Alex reached up with her free hand and dug her fingers into oily scalp and thinning hair. She tugged it back roughly and slammed it forward with enough force to audibly break his nose. “I’m sorry, what were you saying?”

“You-”

“Stand down, Agent Danvers.”

Alex glanced over her shoulder at J’onn.

He stood just inside the hall, clearly having taken the stairs. He looked  _ disappointed _ , complete with dad-frown and crossed arms. A windblown Vasquez and a pouting Supergirl flanked him. 

Alex glanced back at Randstat.

Fun time was over.

Her hand was still in his hair. 

Again, his head hit the wall, this time hard enough to knock him out. 

She let him go, stepping back to let him drop to the floor with no assistance from her. She wiped her hands on her tac pants and turned to face the music. 

“He swung first.”

Vasquez and Supergirl shared an exasperated look behind J’onn’s back.

He was not amused. “You’re suspended until further notice, Danvers. As soon as we return to base, you’re to hand in your gun and badge to Agent Vasquez.”

“Sir-”

He held up a hand. “Supergirl will escort you to Detective Sawyer’s medical bay,  _ where you will stay until further notice. _ Bathroom breaks will occur under more intense supervision.”

Supergirl had the decency to look embarrassed at that.

Alex straightened her back and nodded. “And Randstat, sir?”

“Randstat will be remanded into police custody.” J’onn’s lips twitched. “It seems he attacked a federal agent in the process of investigating the attempted murder of a federal liaison.”

Alex relaxed her shoulders. She walked over to them and handed Winn’s key to Vasquez. She paused briefly before handing her gun and badge over as well. “With all due respect, sir, I’d like to begin my suspension as soon as possible so I can get back to Maggie and Lucy.”

J’onn snorted and waved at Supergirl. “Go.”

Alex used to love flying with Kara. 

It was freeing, fluttering under the stars and running her hand across the water as they swooped just above the waves. 

Flying down a staircase at mach speeds and busting through the city just slow enough to prevent collateral damage was another matter entirely. 

Alex dropped to her knees in the medbay and crawled for the nearest bucket. 

Much to Lucy’s obvious amusement, Supergirl made it a point to lock the door from the outside as she exited. 

“Sitrep?” Lucy asked quietly. 

After Alex finished dry heaving into the trash can, she made her way over to the side opposite Lucy. She picked up Maggie’s free hand and cradled it gently. “I got a few shots in. He’ll have some new charges on tape.”

Alex glanced up at the machine. Maggie’s vitals had improved since she left. Provided there weren’t major setbacks or air leaks, she should pull through. Even her drainage looked better. 

“Worth the shiner?” Lucy smiled. 

Maggie’s fingers reflexively gripped Alex’s. 

“Always.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> ... so I never said it would be a _fluffy_ ending. 
> 
> Have at me. You know where to find me 0=D

**Author's Note:**

> yell at me here or [@bathtimefunduck](http://www.bathtimefunduck.tumblr.com/ask). Second part is coming soon XD


End file.
